In Paint Has a Sound by Russell Riendeau, a man faces encroaching deafness—where silence becomes both adversary and witness to the fading rhythms of his world. 📬 Subscribe to Written Tales for new poems and stories.
Deafness has me in her crosshairs. I feel her breath in my ear.
Chasing me down a dark alley, I the prey. Footsteps behind me I felt, not heard.
Invading my space, rearranging my place, the world I knew, now replaced.
Not a startling noise in years has caused me to spin and turn.
No jumps or jolts, broken is my audio periscope.
Words lost of intrigue, intimacy, entice me, yet never to be cut on my dulled edge of frequencies.
Anatomy of vibrating bones and nerves, in such a glorious casing of human skull, still assassinated by disease, riddled with decay; violent decibels shredding the strongest of primitive structures left in disarray, shambles.
I am both victim and the accomplice to this sinking silence.
Inward, I retreat. Where else would I go? Withdrawing from voices too exhausting to discern, I stumble upon a rejoiceful solace–new expressions for my ideas—an escape from pain and isolation in silent struggles.
Paint has a sound, you know?
She vibrates, laughs, breathes, cries in a world of non-noise. Colors rage more brilliant, pungent with life I used to only hear, not feel or really see.
Pigments now my trumpet to counter, not to reject sounds showing neglect. Sounds, like a broken mirror, can’t reflect.
Paint has a sound, you know?
Just listen.
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✍️ About the Authors
Russ Riendeau is a long time composer, artist, sculptor, and author. It is these activities that keep him curious and creating new works while working full time as an executive search professional. Poetry is a newer adventure for him to explore, as the aging process challenges him with hearing loss which changes his and others the ability to effectively communicate.
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